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Iced Coffee....

O.K., those of you that know me well, know that I'm all about a good cup of coffee (and sometimes even a bad cup will do). I can live without soft drinks, ice cream, cookies, chips...but I wake up thinking about coffee. As much as I love coffee, I am frugal enough that I can't bring myself to purchase coffee on a routine basis...sometimes I am known to splurge, but usually disappointed that I spent $2-5 on something that I could have made just as well at home. I have worked hard recently to cut back on my caffiene consumption. I usually have 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning, 1 cup of coffee in the late afternoon (that's my equivolent of "tea time"), and an occassional cup in the evening as I wind down (I know that's strange, but I'm immune to the effects of caffeine). It has been brutally hot in Florida. We just returned from 75-85 decree weather while on vacation in North Georgia and was greeted with 95-100 degree weather here....that alone has assisted with decreasing my coffee intake. This morning I only had 1/2 cup of coffee, went for my morning jog/walk session, then ran errands. When I returned from my errands, I craved a cup of coffee, but just couldn't bring myself to do it in this heat, so...I took the coffee left over from this morning, poured it over a cup of ice, added one packet of Stevia and 1 packet of vanilla creamer and ....Wha La! I've got a near perfect cup of iced coffee that didn't cost me anything, assisted me with using left overs, and in the Weight Watcher world is only 1 point!

New food finds and other random bits of wisdom.....

Every day is a struggle with my weight....I'll go weeks where I eat what I should and work out faithfully then BOOM! I fall off the wagon just that quick. I have not been to the gym going on my second week now. I became concerned when the gym suddenly became my god....everything seemed to revolve around it. I became even more concerned when I noticed I would go throughout my day worrying more about what I ate and how often I exercised than meditating on the Word of God. Anyway, I've always said, "If you want to lose weight, watch how skinny people eat...". I ran into a friend and fellow blogger at the beauty shop recently and she said that someone told her, "Don't eat unless your hungry". (Thanks Barb!) She took that advice and has since lost 3 pounds. We know these things, yet don't do them. I recently watched a co-worker who is in very good shape as she snacked. You want to know what she was snacking on? Boiled edamame and citrus fruit. Thanks Neila!) So, this week...I am attempting to just rethink how and why I eat like I do. I have gone back to simpler exercising...(i.e., walking/jogging around the local park track 30 minutes versus an hour of Zumba).....once I can balance life better, then I'll do more exercise. Here are some really neat food finds:

Edamame (soy beans) - found in the freezer section at your grocery. If you buy the ones in the shell and boil them 10 minutes in salted water you can pretend they are boiled peanuts (don't knock it till you try it). Plus they are good for you. (1 point for 1 cup)

Steel Cut Oat Meal - Many people shy away from this type of oatmeal because it lacks flavor and can be difficult and time consuming to cook. It is packed with nutrients and is very filling, plus I hear that it lowers cholesterol. To cook, put 1/4 cup in a bowl, add 1/2 cup boiled water and stir, cover your bowl with a plate and let it sit for 5 minutes, then pop in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of your favorite granola and you have a great breakfast cereal. (2 points without granola, 4 points with granola)

Turtles - place mini pretzels on a baking sheet and top each pretzel with 1 pc of Rolo candy, bake in 200 degree oven x 2-3 minutes, when out of oven, squish a pecan halve down in center of softened Rolo candy on top of pretzel and let it cool (1 point each)

Still on the journey....but at a slow pace!

I'm still on the journey with my weight loss efforts but at a slow pace. I've only lost 9 lbs since January. When I was younger, I would have lost that in the first week. This slow crawl toward my goal is not a mystery to me though. I know what I have and haven't done toward this effort. For instance: not exercising, occasional binge eating, late night snacking. So, I know these are things that I need to change.
While portion control is important in the WW world, equally important is eating filling foods. In our culture we are overwhelmed with a plethora of processed foods to choose from. I have been fighting a battle for 9 years with my gastrointestinal system, so in an effort to curb or at least minimize these problems, I have eliminated some foods altogether and have minimized as many processed foods as possible.

For instance:
- I traded Stevia for Spenda several years ago when I noticed that I had abdominal bloating and discomfort. If you aren't familiar with Stevia, go to www.stevia.com
- I build my meals around fruits and veggies, instead of meats. We have a great little fruit/veggie place now that is affordable and fresh...this allows me to buy fruits/veggies every 2-3 days so that they won't spoil (the name of the place is "Main Street Market")
- If I eat processed frozen meals, or snacks, I try to stick with Kashi products which are supposed to be more whole grain/less processed.
-I cut out diet cokes, except for an occasional one. I am attempting to drink less coffee but I'm not there yet. Also, one of my future goals is to cut out flavored creamer (which has probably been a big contributor to my coffee addiction).
-I am drinking quality hot teas on occasion.
-I am doing some kind of exercise everyday that I don't work, except on Sunday.

This will be a life long journey and I've got a long way to go. If anyone has ideas or suggestions, please send them to me. I welcome any advise that I can learn from!

Marvelous Monday.....

Whew! Thank God the March Birthday's are over! I couldn't wait to get to the gym and do some Zumba this morning to work last night's cheesecake off! O.K., great news for you Baker County people, the Saturday Weight Watcher's meetings will start meeting at Anytime Fitness beginning Saturday, April 4th. Also, the gym is trying to implement a Saturday afternoon Zumba class. For those not familiar with Zumba, it is a high energy dance class and it burns anywhere from 5-7 WW points (depending on your weight)! Also, if you do not want to sign up for a lengthy membership with Anytime Fitness, you can pay $5 for the day and attend any classes, plus use the equipment. This is a great deal for those that are non-committal (like myself).....
My goals for the week are:
1) Drink Water
2) Write it is I bite it
3) Stay on plan
4) Eat less processed foods
5) Attend the gym on my days off (except for Sunday)

Hope you have a great week!

"Whine about it" Wednesday

O.K., this is your one day of the week to have the opportunity to "whine" about something! Then...NO MORE...because the rest of this blog is devoted to being completely positive. I need to vent about my coffee maker. I bought this coffee maker about a month ago, replacing an older version of the same. I don't know what the deal is but none of us can perfect the perfect cup of coffee.....Mike tried it, then I did, then Seann....not sure if it's the coffee or the coffee pot or the coffee "makers"....all I know is I miss a good cup of coffee and I'm mourning over it!

"Try It" Tuesday

O.K., yesterday went well....I accomplished all my goals for the day...I know me though...I have to be careful not to pat myself on the back too much for small victories or I will be tempted to celebrate with food. I was going to call this "Tempting Tuesday" and discuss what tempts us (in the food world). The word tempt has such a negative connotation though, so I ended up with "Try It" Tuesday. So this is the challenge I propose to you:

Try something new today or try something period (whether it's new or not)....Try a new food or a new exercise, or something to distract you from the food world...(i.e.,, calling a friend, writing a poem, sending a love note to your husband, etc.)

I haven't decided what I am going to try today but I will write about it later and tell you whether it was good, bad, or otherwise.

Some great food finds that I stumbled upon recently:
1) Ezekial bread....pricey but no one in your house will eat it but you. It's not that it taste bad, it just is alot heavier than regular bread and it's so healthy....made from bean sprouts...also very filling. You can find this in the frozen food case at most grocery stores. You must keep it in the fridge because it can spoil quickly.
2) Almond milk - sweeter, healthier, and less calories than regular milk.
3) Single serve coffee creamers - keeps you from turning your coffee into dessert coffee.
4) Hummus (this plus a slize of Ezekial bread makes a complete protein and is very filling).

Please let me know if you have any new food finds.

Marvelous Monday ....this week's goals

I weighed on on Saturday and had lost another 2 pounds....then went to a wedding shower Saturday and ate 2 pounds of it back. Here I am, Monday morning just makes me feel refreshed and like I can accomplish all my goals! My goals for this week are simple:

1) If I bite it, I write it
2) 20 jumping jacks & 30 min of walk 4 days this week
3) Completely chew one bite before I put another in my mouth
4) Drink 64 oz water a day

Sounds fairly simple for now...we'll see!

Small Victories!

On Saturday morning I weighed in at home, knowing that I would work a 12 hour shift all day Saturday. Saturday is usually my "free day" because it is my "weigh in" day. Anyway, I was so excited, I had lost 3 pounds and had managed to stick to my three goals for the week (Drink water, walk 3 times that week, write everything down that I ate)...
I arrived at work and in walked one of our physicians with a huge box of Krispy Kreme heart shaped donuts, plus some blueberry cake donuts (one of my favs).....I was in the middle of shoveling a spoonful of Kashi cereal into my mouth when he arrived....
I finished my cereal and busied myself with mundane task (we had a slow day)...meanwhile, I kept eyeballing that box of donuts. After an hour or so, I decided that I would eat half a donut slowly with a hot, fresh cup of coffee....I did and savored it.
So, yes, today I am celebrating the small victory that I only ate half and not 2 or 3 of them! Does any of my Weight Watcher buddies have any small victories to share from this week?

I slept through Weight Watcher's on Saturday.....

O.K., I'm more than a little embarrassed about this one! I'll be so glad when the cold weather is over! Or maybe not.....after all, it is my excuse for everything that I don't do now! For instance, I can't walk because it's too cold outside, I didn't go to Weight Watcher's because my bed was so warm and it was too cold outside....I'm sure you get the point. Anyway, I slept through Weight Watcher's and everything was down hill from there! Mike and I went to eat with some friends Saturday night who cooked a spread like you wouldn't believe. They had been watching food network and were trying out some recipes on us....none of which were on Weight Watcher's. Then when I got home Saturday, I cooked for a family gathering on Sunday...went to the family gathering, ate...ate....and ate some more.....at this point I'm feeling like a major failure...BUT alas, Monday morning rolled around and my new found WW buddies were sending me emails to see how "weigh in" went on Saturday, I confessed my sin....they built me up, cheered me on...etc....and so since Monday I have been back on track with only three goals for the week:

1) If you bite it write it (taken from my niece/BFF/WW Buddy).
2) Walk 3 times this week (2 down, 1 more to go)
3) Drink water!

I have to get through Saturday and I will have met my goals! Thank you accountability partners for holding me to task!

I have Accountability partners! YEAH!!!!

O.K., my neice and BFF (bet you younger people didn't know that I knew that lingo....), coordinated an email between us and three of her friends to hold each other accountable with WW. It couldn't have come at a better time as I have been on the "slippery slope" for a couple of weeks now....not journaling my food intake, not drinking water, not exercising....O.K., I'm full of "not's"....anyway, I feel revived after receiving my first email from Janice this morning to begin this " yet another new", journey! I just love it that life is full of new beginnings!

Back on the journey with a long trek to go....

O.K., I went back to weight watcher's at the beginning of the year and was excited about the new plan called "Momentum". In a nutshell this is trading processed foods for natural "living" foods! So, that said, I have started working on staying out of the center isles in the grocery stores and planning my menus around more fruits and vegetables. We have a great little produce store in our little now called "Main Street Market"....if you haven't been there, I would encourage you to check it out....they have fresh fruits and veggies, many locally grown....AND at about half the cost of the local grocery stores. Also, I purchased a great set of measuring spoons from Weight Watcher's....I intend to measure everything in an effort to promote portion control!

On the slippery slope....

O.K., it's been two-three weeks now of endless FOOD! Everywhere I turn there is food and at present I've lost my resolve. I, along with co-Sunday School teacher Deb, am hosting a brunch for our Sunday School class this morning...where there will be more food, including breakfast casseroles and creamy dips! Guess what? Before I host brunch, I am going to a Weight Watcher's meeting....one part of me says "why bother", but the other part of me says "you've got to start somewhere"....So, stay tuned for more posts in the life of a WWF!

Rethinking Holiday Food....

Yesterday was my favorite holiday...Thanksgiving....probably because I love food. Several years ago when I was 100% Weight Watchers (meaning, I all but made it my god..), I could not enjoy the holidays, it meant everything to accomplish and stay at that "goal weight".....I'm on WW again, but not as diligently and I have only one God and that is my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ....so that said, I have to look at holidays different now then I did when I would make myself sick on holiday food, and when I would deprive myself of something. Yesterday, I took a break from logging in my food journal and just simply enjoyed my family and food. I put one large spoonful of anything I wanted to try on my plate and I savored it. Today, I am logging in my journal again. I have to look at food different now....it is not something to gorge on or deprive myself of, it is meant to be enjoyed but in moderation. As usual, I am not patting myself on the back...every day is a battle for me...and while eating good comes fairly easy for me (because I love fruits and veggies), exercise doesn't and that is equally important.

NO MORE CAMI CAKES!!!!

As I typed the title to this post, I was reminded of the scene from "Mommie Dearest", where the mother snaps and yells at her daughter, "NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!"....I hope you can tell by the exclamation points that I am yelling this "NO MORE CAMI CAKES!!!"....My oldest child has started a bad habit at our house lately....she recently fell in love with "Cami Cakes"...for those of you that aren't familiar with this delicacy...it a small family owned chain in Tinseltown near her college campus. They make gourmet cupcakes. When she first told me this, I wasn't impressed. After all, a cupcake is a cupcake. She said that one day she was asking one of the older women that worked there just how many calories a cami cake has. The woman stopped, looked at her and chuckled, "Chile...these cami cakes are not made with calories but with a whole lot of love..."...so I would estimate that in the weight watcher world, one of these cami cakes are worth anywhere from 6-12 points which is equal to almost a half days worth of calories. So....every Monday...my dear daughter brings home these gourmet cupcakes....I tasted a bite the first time and thought, "That's not too bad", then the other day, she brought home one called "Elvis". I was in cupcake love! I said all that to say this, "NO MORE CAMI CAKES"!

Tommorow is a brand new day....thank God!

I have felt this week spiraling out of control with my eating as I have went from one doctor's appointment to another, then a wedding early this morning....then to top it off, the Florida/Georgia game was today and Mike and I had our own little party, complete with snacks (plenty of them)....so...tommorow is a brand new day and I am ever thankful that it is...I have not had time to blog over the past couple of weeks and that too is therapeutic in my weight loss endeavor....

Five combined fruits & veggies a day!

I love fruits and veggies, could have been a vegetarian easy (if it weren't for my "meat & potatoes" loving man)....Weight Watcher's advocates getting five combinations of fruits and vegetables in a day. As much as I love them, I seem to struggle to do this. But one thing is clear, if I made it a point to get my fruits and veggies in first before I allowed myself any processed food or snacks, I would be much healthier and would probably see the weight drop quicker. This past Saturday when I attended the local WW meeting, we talked about ways to incorporate fruits & veggies....Here are a few ideas:

1) Top yogurt with sliced fruit of your choice
2) Top cereal with sliced banana
3) Banana and Peanut Butter sandwich
4) celery sticks or carrots dipped in hummus
5) Garden vegetable soup
6) Sliced cucumber on sandwich
7) Add steamed veggies to whatever protein you are having
8) Add a new veggie to your salad (I love artichokes in salad)
9) Add applesauce to plain oatmeal
10) Mix left over veggies in with pasta

"Weekdays with Donna"

Due to my lack of a recent post over the past week, you are probably surmising that I have fell "off the wagon" and am face down in a box of chocolates by now. I have been lazy in the "blogging department" lately but have more energy than ever in other areas that have needed my attention (i.e., house maintenance, organization, cleaning, etc.). My long time friend Donna, read my post prior to this one and called me last week with a proposal. She would be my accountability partner when it comes to exercise. I thought quickly of every possible excuse to get out of this (love Donna, hate exercise)...but she was persistent. So, last Friday, we set out for a walk and walked an hour. This week, we have walked an hour on two seperate days and plan to walk again on Friday. Already, I feel my stamina starting to pick up. An hour goes by really fast when you have great company! So...Donna, if you are reading this, Thank you for inspiring me! I look forward to my "Weekdays with Donna"!

Exercise....Uuuugggghhhhh!

I wish that I loved exercise. In the past when I consciously made it a part of my every day life, there actually was a point (after 2-3 months of consistency) that I did enjoy it....BUT now....Oh how I am struggling, even to do something as simple as walk 3 times a week. I had all intentions of starting back this week. The truth of the matter is that I get bored very easy. My daughter who was recently certified as a personal trainer, volunteered to teach me ZUMBA and work with me on Pilates to "shake things up a bit"....I think I would have literally been "shaking things up" if I did Zumba, as it is a series of dance steps taken from Africa. Anyway, this week....once again...no exercise. I have an overwhelming amount of "things" on my plate. I am writing this post in hopes that someone will hold me accountable when I say that I have all intentions of starting exercise on October 1st! We'll see.....

Staying on track despite all.....

I missed my Saturday "weight in" at Weight Watchers as I went out of town for some much needed R & R with family....I knew that I would not be eating as close to plan but did manage to watch portions and stick to as many vegetables as possible. Sunday was a little "trying" as there was birthday cake and ice cream and I did manage to have a portion of both. I am not going to bother to "toot my own horn" at this point. I know me and I am mainly attempting to just encourage myself and hopefully someone else, but normally when I eat something like cake and ice cream, I throw in towel, declare myself the loser of the battle and go crazy....this time was different. I started back on plan as soon as I got home Sunday night and am still feeling strong. Of course, I can't take credit for any of this, as I give God all the glory for it....I absolutely cannot pull through this in my own strength.